"We remember the past to ensure it is not repeated in the future. "Thinking
about the horrible suffering of the victims of the Holocaust and their
families reminds us that every day we must work to end anti-Gypsyism and
instead promote a culture of peace." said today Mr Rudko Kawczynski,
President of the European Roma and Travellers Forum on the occasion of the
International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the
Holocauast, organised by the Council of Europe.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day reminds us of the millions of
Jewish, Roma and, disabled people, homosexuals, political opponents, Jehovah
witnesses and other victims of the Holocaust. We recommitt ourselves to
"keeping their memory alive not only in our thoughts, but through our
actions,"said President Kawczynski.

The European Roma and Travellers Forum therefore calls on the Council of
Europe member states, European politicians and decision makers to
effectively combat the rise of the far-right, which they have neglected, or
worse, from whom they have borrowed ideas to gain votes. They also need to
change the tone of the current public debate into a positive one,
highlighting the benefits of diversity in European societies.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated worldwide on 27
January in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. On 27 January 1945, the
advancing Red Army entered the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp
complex, liberating more than 7,000 remaining prisoners, who were for the
most part ill or dying. Days earlier, the SS had forced nearly 60,000
prisoners to evacuate the camp and embark on the infamous 'Death Marches,'
in which many thousands lost their lives.

The European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF), which has a partnership
agreement with the Council of Europe and a special status with this
institution, is Europe's largest and most inclusive Roma and Traveller
organisation. It brings together Europe's main international Roma-NGOs and
more than 1,500 national Roma and Traveller organisations from most of the
Council of Europe member states.